US2300989A

US2300989A - Hinge construction for cabinets

Info

Publication number: US2300989A
Application number: US380851A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edgar S Stoddard; Philip K Borman
Original assignee: EDISON GENERAL ELEC APPLIANCE
Current assignee: EDISON GENERAL ELEC APPLIANCE; EDISON GENERAL ELECTRIC APPLIANCE COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1941-02-27
Filing date: 1941-02-27
Publication date: 1942-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 1959-11-03
Also published as: DE761794C

Description

HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR CABINETS Filed Feb. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor-s: Edgar 5.5ooddard, Philip K. Ber-man,

Their Attorney.

1942- E. s. STODDARD ETAL 2,300,939

HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR CABINETS Filed Feb. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dhihp K. Borrnah b Hana 6x] Theh- Attorney.

Inventor-s. Edgar 5. sboddaT d u T" w 71% M W l .F- IIIIIL mi nnulnnunn. ilIIl/llil--- Patented Nov. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,300,989 HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOB CABINETS Edgar S. Stoddard. Berwyn, and Philip K. Borman, Chicago, 111., assignors to Edison General Electric Appliance Company, Inc., Chicago, 11].,

a corporation of New York Application February 27, 1941, Serial No. zsossr 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a hinge construction for a cabinet and more particularly to a hinge construction for a cabinet of the front opening type and has for its object the provision of new and improved hinge and counterbalance means for supporting a door so that it can be moved about a substantially horizontal axis between a closed and open position relative to the front opening of the cabinet. 7

While not limited thereto, the hinge construction of this invention is particularly applicable for hinging the door of a front opening type of dishwasher apparatus.

It is a specific object of this invention to provide a simple, rugged, easily assembled, and relatively low cost hinge construction for hingedly supporting the doorof a front opening type of dishwasher so that the door can be moved about a substantially horizontal axis from a substantially vertical closed position to a substantially horizontal open position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide the door of a front opening type of cabinet with an improved hinge construction the hinging axis of which may be horizontally shifted. to compensate for slight changes in the door construction and to insure proper positioning of the door relative to the opening to be closed.

It is a further object of this invention to include new and improved and rugged counterbalancing means in the improved hinge construction so that the door may be easily moved on its hinge between its open and closed positions.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a front opening type of cabinet structure, in this instance a 'front opening type of dishwasher, to which the improved hinge and counterbalance construction of this invention has been applied; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical elevation, partly in section. and partly broken away, showing details of construction of the improved hinge and counterbalance mechanism which is provided for supporting each side of the door for the cabinet shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 2, the open position of the door andthe corresponding position of the counterbalance mechanism being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. is a sectional view taken on'the line H of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged exploded view showing details of the adjustable hinge socket of this invention.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, we have shown our invention as applied to a door for closing the opening of a front opening type of cabinet. In the specific embodiment of this invention illustrated the hinge construction is employed for hingedly supporting the door of a front opening type of dishwashing apparatus which comprises a vat ill which is supported by means of brackets II in a casing having a pair of side walls i2 and I3, a top wall M, a rear wall (not shown) and a lower front wall IS. The vat III is provided with a front opening l6 through which articles to be washed may be inserted into and removed from the washing spaces. Provided within the vat is a fluid circulating impeller ll which it will be understood is driven by a suitable motor means (not shown) the operation of which is controlled in accordance with the position of the control element I 8. The articles to be washed will be supported in the washing space by suitable racks (not shown) and the impeller ll when operated will hurl the washing fluid contained in the vat Ill up and through the articles to thoroughly cleanse them in the manner well understood in the dishwasher art.

The front opening ii of the vat i0 is closed by a door I! having a handle 20. The door 19 is adapted to be moved between a substantially vertical closed position and a substantially horizontal open position. Provided for supporting the door so that it can be moved about a substantially horizontal axis between its two positions is the improved hinge and counterbalance construction of this invention which comprises a hinge and counterbalance mechanism II for each side of the door. The details of construction of the mechanism II is shown more clearly in Figs. 2-6. It will be understood that these figures illustrate the mechanism for one side only of the door IS, in this instance the left side as viewed in Fig. 1. An identical mechanism it will be understood is provided-for hingedly supporting the right side of the door l9.

Referring to Figs. 2-6, it will be observed that the door I! includes a front panel 22 and a rear panel 23. Lying between the front and rear panels is a vertically extending hinge member which comprises a vertically extending channel member 24 having a de ressed central portion 25 to which is spot welded a U-shaped reinforcing plate 26. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the hinge member is spaced from and secured to the lower end of the front panel by means of the bolt 21 and the spacer block 28 and is secured to the rear panel by the vertically spaced bolts 23 which are threadedly received in the plates 30 welded to the back of panel 23. At the lower end of the channel member 24 the width of the side walls is increased to produce the projecting portions 3| through which a hinge pin or pintle 32 extends so as to lie above the point at which the hinge member is secured to the front panel 22. The pintle is supported in the projecting portions 3| so that the left-hand end thereof. as viewed in Fig. 4, projects outwardly from the left-hand leg portion 3|.

Mounted on the inside surface of the adjacent side wall of the casing in the lower front corner thereof is a hinge bracket 33. This bracket is provided along one edge with an integrally formed flange 34 which is welded or otherwise secured to the adjacent side wall of the frame and is provided on its opposite edge in the lower corner thereof with a second integrally formed flange 35 which is welded to an angle plate 33 which in turn is secured to the bottom frame 31 of the casing. Thus the hinge bracket is rigidly and securely held in position on the side wall of the casing. Provided in the upper left-hand corner of the hinge bracket is a pair of

openings

38 and 33. Adapted to project through the opening 38 is a hinge socket 40 having an integrally formed base 4|. The hinge socket 40 is secured to the hinge bracket 33 by means of a bolt 42 which is adapted to extend through the opening 39 and is threadedly received in an opening 43 in the base 4|. Included in the hinge socket is an axially extending opening 44 which is adapted to receive rotatably the projecting end of the hinge pin or pintle 32. As also shown in detail in Fig. 6 a portion of the wall for the opening 44 is cut away near the end of the socket to define an open slot or recess 45. By means of this slot the projecting end of the pintle may be inserted into the opening 44 by means of a substantially radial movement of the pintle relative to the socket. However, it is to be observed that the socket is only cut away along a part of the length of the opening 44. Along the remainder of the length of the opening the socket wall completely surrounds the opening to define a depression which is adapted to receive in telescoping relation the end of the pintle. Since the walls of the depression completely surround the end of the pintle on all sides it is obvious that when the end of the pintle is inserted into the depression disengagement between the socket and the pintle can only be effected by an axial movement to the left of the socket relative to the pintle.

When the end of the pintle 32 is in engagement with the socket 40, the door is hingedly supported on the hinge bracket 33 so that it can be pivoted about a substantially horizontal axis. In order to provide for horizontal adjustment of the hinge axis to accommodate for small differences in the door assembly and to insure proper alignment of the door l9 with the opening I, the

openings

38 and 39 provided in the hinge bracket are elongated. This permits substantially horizontal movement of the base ll relative to the bracket 33 so that the socket 40 may be moved backwardly or forwardly to vary the position of the pivot point of the pintle 32. With such an adjustment provided in the hinge bracket for each side of the door the hinge axis can be easily aligned and shifted if desired.

In assemblingthe hinge construction thus far described, the hinge member 2a is mounted in its operative position in the door l3 and the pintle 32 is mounted on the member 24. The socket 43 is next loosely mounted on the hinge bracket 33, which has been previously welded to the side panel l2, in a position which is located laterally of its operative position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. While the socket is thus loosely supported the projecting end of the pintle is moved down through the open slot 45 into the opening 44. Next the bolt 42 is tightened so as to draw the base 4i of the socket up against the bracket 33. This produces a substantially axial movement of the socket relative to the pintle so that the end thereof projects into the completely walled portion of the opening 44 formed in the socket. So long as the base 4i is firmly secured to the bracket 33 by means of the bolt 42, the pintle will be nonremovably held in position in the socket 40. Prior to the final tightening of the bolt 42 the entire assembly will be adjusted horizontally, that is, in a radial direction with reference to the bracket, to obtain the proper alignment of the hinge axis and insure that the door I3 is properly mounted relative to the opening I8.

In operation of the improved hinge construction it is apparent that the door will pivot about the pivot point formed by the pintle 32 and the socket 40 and may be swung about the horizontal axis defined thereby from its vertically closed position to an open position. In order to limit the opening movement of the door [3 to a position in which the door is substantially horizontal, there is welded to the hinge bracket 33 a stop bracket 43 which is provided with a projection 41 (Fig. 2) against which the lower end of the member 24 is adapted to abut.

In order to facilitate the hinging of the door and at the same time to bias it to its closed position there is provided a counterbalance mechanism which comprises a lever 48. One end of the lever 48 is pivoted at 43 to the lowermost end of the hinge member 24. The opposite end of the lever is pivotally connected to a pair of links 50 and 5| which in turn are rotatably supported on a fixed pivot pin 52 secured to the hinge bracket 33. As shown in Fig. 2, the links 50 and ii are positioned on opposite sides of the lever 43. By means of this construction any substantial lateral movement of the outer or moving end oi the lever 43 is prevented. Extending between the lever 48 and a fixed pin 53 supported in the bracket 33 is a tension spring 54 which is positioned so as to apply force to the lever 43 tending to bias the door l9 to its closed position. In order to provide a connection between the tension spring and the lever which will substantially resist wear during use and thereby prevent erratic operation of the biasing means, there is provided in the lever 48, near the outer end thereof, a pin 59 upon which is rotatably mounted a roller 56 over which the hooked end 51 of the spring 54 is adapted to lie.

In operation of this improved counterbalancing and biasing mechanism it will be observed from Fig. 3 that so long as the door is in its closed position or substantially closed position, the tension spring 54 will exert a force on the lever 43 which is transmitted to the lower end of the door to pivot it clockwise about its hinge axis to the closed position. When the door is moved from its. closed position toward its open position, the tension spring is extended and energy is stored in the spring which can be utilized to facilitate the closing of the door. Upon movement of the door to its fully open position the tension spring exerts a force on the lever 48 which is sufficient to substantially counterbalance the weight of the door. Thus when the door is in its open or substantially open position, its weight will be balanced by the force of the spring 54 so that only the exertion of a slight additional upward force by the operator is required to initiate movement to its closed position.

From the foregoing detailed description it is believed that the operation of the improved hinge and counterbalance construction of thisinvention is apparent. It will be particularly observed however that there is provided in accordance with this invention an improved hinge and counterbalance mechanism which is simple and rugged in construction, which can be manufactured at low cost, and which produces adjustable easily operated means for hingedly supporting a door for closing the opening of a front opening type of cabinet.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been described and illustrated it will be understood that many modifications may be made therein and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What'we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a hinge construction for hingedly supporting a door in a cabinet of the front opening type so that the door may be swung about a horizontal axis between a substantially vertical closed position and a substantially horizontal open position, a hinge mechanism comprising a hinge bracket, a pintle, a socket adapted to re,- tatably receive said pintle, a recess formed in said socket permitting the insertion and removal of said pintle in said socket by a substantially radial movement of said pintle relative to the axis of said socket, an axial depression in said socket adjacent said recess for rotatably receiving the end of said pintle and having walls preventing the disengagement of said pintle from said socket by radial movement of said pintle relative to said socket, means for mounting said socket on said bracket so that said socket will have a 1 00se position in which said pintle may be moved radially through said recess for engagement and disengagement with said socket and a secured position in which the end of said pintle lies in said axial depression, and means in said mounting means for adjustably supporting said socket on said bracket so that said socket may be moved horizontally to provide horizontal adjustment for the hinge axis of said door.

2. A hinge construction for hingedly supporting a door in a cabinet of the front opening type so that said door may be swung about a substantially horizontal axis between a substantially vertical closed position and a substantially horizontal open position comprising a hinge mechanism adapted to hinge each side of said door adjacent the lower edge thereof, each of said mechanisms including a hinge bracket adapted to be secured to said cabinet, a pintle adapted to be secured to said door at a point spaced from the lower end thereof, a hollow hinge socket adapted to rotatably receive said pintle in telescoping relation therewith, said socket having a recess formed therein adjacent the end thereof permitting the insertion and removal of said pintle by a .radial movement of said pintle relative to said socket when said socket is displaced axially relative to said pintle, means for securing said socket to said hinge bracket providing for a secured position of said socket on said bracket in which said pintle is received in telescopic relation with said socket, and for a loose position of said socket in which it is displaced with reference to said secured position and axially withrelation to said pintle so that the pintle may be moved radially through said recess for engagement and disengagement with said socket, and means in said mounting means for adjustably supporting said socket on said bracket so that said socket may be moved horizontally to provide for horizontal adjustment of the hinge axis of said door.

3. In a hinge construction for detachably and adjustably supporting a door in a frame, a hinge mechanism comprising a hinge bracket adapted to'be secured to said frame, a pintle adapted to be secured to said door, a hollow hinge socket adapted to rotatably receive said pintle in telescoping relation therewith, said socket having an open slot at one end thereof permitting the insertion and removal of said pintle by a radial movement of said pintle when said socket is displaced axially relative to said pintle, means mounting said socket on said bracket providing for movement thereof in a lateral direction with relation to said bracket and also in a radial direction with relation to it so that when moved in said lateral direction it is axially displaced for the insertion and removal of said pintle through said slot, and when moved in said radial direction to permit an adjustment of the hinge axis of the door, said mounting means including means for securing said socket to said bracket when adjusted to a position in said radial direction.

EDGAR S. STODDARD. PHILIP K. BORMAN.